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Help:A Guide to Klingon/verbs
Verbs In Klingon, verb prefixes are used instead of pronouns. There are different prefixes depending on the subject and object of the verb. A prefix is optional, and if used there can be only one. Suffixes are used to modify the meaning of the verb in some way, such as negation. There are ten types of suffixes: * Rovers can appear anywhere, usually, and more than one may be used. * There are nine types of numbered suffixes. Only one of each type may be used for a compound word. These suffixes must appear in type order: PREFIX-VERB-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9. Prefixes Examples Imperative prefixes Another set of prefixes are used to form commands. In English, the subject is not usually translated. Examples Prefixes with the Indefinite Subject When the subject is indefinite, the suffix -lu' is used. This is described later. This suffix can only be used with certain prefixes, which have a changed meaning. Roving Suffixes The general rule is that these may occur anywhere after the verb but there are several exceptions. More than one rover may be used. Suffix Type 1: Reflexive Suffix Type 2: Predisposition to action Suffix Type 3: Change Suffix Type 4: Change of Condition Suffix Type 5 Suffix Type 6: Qualification These suffixes indicate the certainity of the action. Suffix Type 7: Aspect & Tenses There are no verb tenses in Klingon. The tense can usually be inferred from the context. The following suffixes indicate whether a verb action is completed or ongoing. More on tenses A sentence such as juH vIjaH can mean any of the following: * I am going home. * I went home. * I will go home. Without any other indication of when the action happened, it is usual to consider it present tense: I am going home. If a time is given, it provides context for inferring the tense: * wa'Hu' juH vIjaH - Yesterday I went home. * wa'les juH vIjaH - Tomorrow I will go home. * jaj wa' juH vIjaH - On Sunday I went home. or On Sunday I will go home. Suffix Type 8: Honorific Suffix Type 9: Syntactic Markers Main Clause Modifiers Relative Clause Marker A relative clause modifies a noun, called the head noun. In English, relative clauses start with a relative pronoun such as that, what, where, which, who, whom or whose. Most of these pronouns also have other meanings in English. The Klingon equivalent of the relative pronoun is the syntactic marker -bogh: * Heghpu'bogh loD - the man who died * loD lulbogh - the man whom she fights * qach vIparHa'bogh - the house which I like If both subject and object are nouns, then the noun that is modified, the head noun, is indicated by -'e': * loD lulbogh be''e' - the woman who fights the man A relative clause can also be used to translate constructions such as a man in a coat. This can be rendered: * wep tuQbogh loD'e' - a man who is wearing a coat Subordinate Clause Markers In English, a subordinate or dependent clause is usually attached to a main clause. They normally start with a dependent word such as because or if. The following syntactic markers introduce subordinate clauses in Klingon. The subordinate clause can occur before or after the rest of the sentence. Purpose Clause Marker This suffix can also be used to form a gerund (cutting or storing), which is then used to modify a noun. Okrand supplies us with these examples: * pe'meH taj - cutting knife, literally a knife for (the purpose of) cutting * Soj polmeH pa' - Food Storage, literally room for storing food Nominalizers A nominalizer transforms a verb into a noun. Stative Verbs Stative verbs are verbs of state or quality. The English translations are often adjectives. Examples include: * Say' - be clean * Quch - be happy * SuD - be blue/green/yellow Generally, no object applies: * Say' - He is clean. * jIQuch - I am happy. When used with -moH they become transitive, for example: * vISay'moH - I clean it. * yISay''eghmoH - Clean yourself! The suffix -wI' can be used with a stative verb, and may be translated by one: * pujwI' - weak one or weakling These verbs can be used as adjectives.